The prickly pear cactus is a beautiful plant. Paddles of green rise up from one another, and the flower buds appear on top. The buds are the “pears” and are very tasty! The paddles of the plant (which are really trunks and branches, with the thorns for leaves) are also quite edible. The paddles are cut off, quite carefully, and held over an open flame to remove the thorns. Once done, slice and stir-fry. Very good in scrambled eggs.
Personally, I like looking at them more than harvesting them!
I always enjoy seeing the sandstone boulders and rocks in the Santa Monica mountains. How do they get the way they are? Who or what positioned them? These look as if they were cast down the hillside by some giant hand . . . These are yellow and red and make a wonderful background for the foliage and weeds of the chaparral.
Black and white can be very difficult if not done properly – contrast has to be there, whether long scale (lots of grey between the blackest black and whitest white) or short scale (little grey between black and white). Long scale images may never reach black or white, and may not work at all. Certain colors work better in b&w with a filter. So much more stuff, it seems to me, needs to be learned when shooting in b&w! I struggle with it. Above is longer scale; below is shorter scale. The red leaves were really difficult to render.
Here, the repeated patterns of leaves provide the texture, from large to small, old to new.
Lines. Shapes. Light. Dark. Texture. Gesture.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 